I love the culture of grilling. It creates an atmosphere that is festive but casual.
--Bobby Flay

Of course I move from an apartment that has a massive back deck to a tiny studio apartment with barely enough room for a microwave. I am a food blogger and I've provided myself with as little prepping and cooking space as possible. I know, Tommy is really smart, you don't have to tell me.... Don't worry though, I'm turning it into a game - what can Tommy cook in his 400-square foot apartment without you, the reader, realizing that I literally have no room to cook? It's a fun game, sometimes.

Lately however, I have been finding myself riding the Chicago Metra up to the suburbs on the weekends. Family birthdays. Trips to Minnesota. My weekends this past month have been so chalk-full of activities that I haven't been to my Friday "Badasses, Bands & Beers" SoulCycle class once. I am going through withdrawal. The tap backs. The jumps. The music. The people. The beer. I've missed it. Okay, okay, it sounds like I am complaining at how busy I've been. That isn't the case at all! It has been an incredible past few weeks. The perks of going home often is getting to use my parents' full kitchen. Plenty of space to work with. Tools and gadgets up the wazoo. A nice gas grill. What more could a foodie ask for?!

Steak is one of my favorite foods. Porterhouse steaks. T-bones. Filet mignons. Flank steak. Give me all of that!!! I admittedly used to be horrible at grilling. I over thought everything and more than anything, I just wasn't confident. So little by little, I have been forcing myself to grill more. Trying a new recipe here and there. After all, how else am I supposed to get better?

This recipe for Grilled Flank Steak with Chile Spice Rub is from Max & Eli Sussman's 'This Is a Cookbook.' Their recipes are phenomenal. And they are based in New York. (Anyone who lives in New York is okay in my book!) Just a fair warning - there is sodium in this rub. Lots of it. Feel free to adjust your ratios as you please, but I found that pairing the meat with simple vegetables helps balance the meal out. Give it a whirl and let me know what you think!

In the meantime, I will be working on my studio-apartment cooking game. I'll get better. I promise!

In a baking dish large enough to fit steak, stir together salt, cumin, coriander, paprika, black pepper, garlic powder and cayenne pepper. Add the steak and turn to coat thoroughly with the rub, pressing with your fingers to help it adhere to the meat as needed. Cover and let marinate in the fridge for at least 1 hour and up to 6 hours. When you are ready to cook, let the steak come to room temperature while the grill is heating.

Build a hot fire in a charcoal grill or preheat a gas grill to high. Using a grill brush, scrape the heated grill rack clean. Rub the grill rack with oil.

Place the flank steak directly over a hot area of the grill and let it sit for about 3 minutes. Rotate the steak 90 degrees, and again don’t move it for another few minutes. Turn the steak and repeat the process to grill the second side: 3 minutes without disturbing, rotate, 3 more minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part will read 130ºF for medium-rare. Finish cooking on a cooler part of the grill if you like your steak medium.

Cover the steak loosely with foil and let rest for 10 minutes. Carve it against the grain into slices about ½ inch thick and serve.